An Unexpected Journey
by Xero.the.Strange
Summary: I was always told to keep an open mind and expect the unexpected... but who could ever expect to fall out of a tree and end up in a completely different universe? AND WHY IN THE DESERT OF ALL PLACES? Why ME?
1. Prologue: A day (un)like any other

**An Unexpected Journey  
><strong>_Prologue - A day (un)like any other_

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><p>It was an average October evening with nothing out of the norm and nothing extraordinary. Just another monday evening.<p>

I was walking home from work, tired and looking forward to having some quality time with my couch and my favorite drama. I was trying to predict the main character's next move but I hadn't been able to watch it for the past two weeks so I couldn't quite remember the last episode. I knew it was a bit strange for a young American woman to be so obsessed with Korean dramas but my best friend had gotten me into them a long time ago and I had since then been increasingly interested in Korean culture altogether. My job as a graphic designer was great and all but it was time consuming and needed all of my focus for long periods of time. My latest client had given me a task that was both enjoyable and a pain in my backside. I love designing and all but it really isn't as simple as people seem to think and definitely not as easy as any non-designer would have expected. It takes several days to come up with a solid concept and at least a week to get a prototype done. If the client doesn't like where it's going, then it's back to the drawing board. It had taken me more than a month to finish the last project (a simple logo redesign) but it was worth it and my client's satisfaction gave me a good moral boost.

Anyway, I was casually making my way home from the office, looking every bit the Californian that I was in a business suit and sandals. There was no way I was walking home in heels if I could avoid it. I didn't drive that day because the clear sky and perfect temperature just begged me to bask in the sun's glory. It had rained for a week and I love the smell of fresh rain and bright sunshine. So, as the office was a mere 20 minute walk from my apartment complex, I left my car at home. I regretted this when it was finally time to go back home, though. The sun was beginning to set, and though the sky was painted in beautiful shades of reds, blues, and purples, I was beginning to feel a bit paranoid. I didn't exactly live in the safest of neighborhoods.

Everything was going fine until the sun had gone below the horizon and the sky was darkening. As I passed a dark alleyway, I heard voices and quickened my pace. I crossed my fingers and hoped that nobody had taken an interest in me, I wasn't too confident that I could take on more than two drunk men at a time. Unfortunately for me, the group of men in the alley had spotted me and decided I was an easy target. I was still in my nicer clothes and I must have given them the idea that I was wealthy enough to rob. It wasn't too wrong but it wasn't exactly right. I mean, I did make good money when I finished projects but I didn't exactly work for a well-known or large design company. Prices were always rising and good jobs were getting scarce and money was getting tight. When I heard the sound of footsteps behind me, my heart jumped to my throat.

I heard them call out to me, their words slurred and tones vulgar, but I pretended not to hear them. I didn't notice they had caught up to me and gone around the building until I turned the corner and found myself surrounded. Cursing under my breath, I counted five men and knew I didn't have much of a chance. They seemed to understand this as well but they didn't expect me to fight back or that I had some martial arts training for just such an occasion.

Now, don't get me wrong, I was nowhere near a seasoned fighter so the most I could do was defend and get the hell out of there as soon as I found an opening. Which is exactly what I was going to do. As one of them tried to come up behind me to immobilize me, I elbowed him in the gut and kicked him hard enough to knock him off his feet (not a large feet since he was pretty tipsy to begin with). While the rest were processing what had just happened, I quickly sprinted through the opening he provided me and ran without looking back to see if they followed. Their angry shouts only gave me a reason to push myself into running faster as I weaved through the streets and ended up in the park.

I was too tired to keep running so I looked for a good hiding place. I would have tried running into a store to call the police or get help but everything was closed right now, so I didn't even attempt it. Perhaps that was another mistake but I guess I'll never know. I spotted my favorite tree, a large oak, and an idea formed in my mind. The tree was rather old and quite tall and some of the branches were big enough to hold my weight and to hide amongst. Mentally thanking my personal trainer at the gym, I climbed up the tree and lied down on one of it's larger branches just as my pursuers came into my field of vision. Slowing my breath and remaining as still as I possibly could, I watched as they scattered and searched all throughout the park. It felt like forever but they eventually seemed to give up on me and, one by one, left the area. I remained up in the tree for another 15-20 minutes to make sure they were really gone before attempting to climb down.

And that's when it happened. My sandals weren't exactly made for cross-country and one of the straps snapped which caused me to lose my footing and I came tumbling down. I tried to twist my body to land on my hands and knees but I only managed to make it halfway before... I was swallowed in darkness... The last thing I knew before I blacked-out was a comforting warmth enveloping me.

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><p><strong>Hello again! Yes, I've edited this just a bit and I will be continuing this series! Yay! I had to stop writing once college decided to soak up all of my time and attention. Good news is: I will be graduating in less than a month and I will finally be FREE! Anyway, review if you have any suggestions for future characters because I like collaborating with people to keep my mind fresh and my creative juices flowing! (I'm such a pervert for thinking that sounded dirty :X )<strong>

**If you want to help me out and bounce ideas with me (with this or any other story, even one of your own), go ahead and leave a review or message me! Um, don't try emailing me because I never check my old emails anymore... ehehehe... If you want, I'll give you my newer (and more frequently checked) email addresses if you ask!**

**~ Xero ~**


	2. Sand, It's EVERYWHERE! (being edited)

**An Unexpected Journey  
><strong>_Chapter One - "Sand... It's EVERYWHERE!"_

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><p>I don't know how it happened and I don't think I ever <em>wished<em> for something like this to happen, but I couldn't deny that I was out in the middle of the desert with nothing but the clothes on my back. The heat was just too real to ignore. _This... is bad._ I had just regained consciousness, only to find myself face down and half-buried in the sand far away from civilization. How do I know that I'm nowhere near society? No matter which direction I looked, all I could see was an endless expanse of desert, desert, and more desert. I had propped myself up on my elbows to see if there was anything familiar but I could honestly say I had absolutely no idea where I was. I had thought, at first, that the men who were chasing me had found me passed out in the park and robbed me and dumped me off in Death Valley, but this was a foreign desert. California was dry and rocky with some sand here and there, but the deserts were nothing like this. There were no cacti, no shrubs, no joshua trees... Nothing. Just sand.

Just as I was coming to the conclusion that, no, I wasn't in Kansas anymore, my stomach decided to remind me that my last meal was far too long ago. _Definitely not_ _good._ This meant I didn't have time to just lie there and wait for someone to take me home or give me directions to the nearest town. I had to get up and get moving if I wanted to survive. As I got to my feet, somewhere in the back of my mind I decided that this was all a dream and I was really still at my office passed out at my desk. A strong gust of wind blew past me and whipped my hair in my face and I decided too much thinking right now was a bad thing. I had to find food and water or just sit there and wait for death. And let me tell you, I do love being alive.

Without a compass, I didn't know which way was which. The sun was either rising or setting and I couldn't stand there long enough to decide which way was north, I had to get moving. So, I did something I usually did back in my younger days when I was feeling adventurous. I spun around in a circle and counted to ten. When I stopped, I was a bit dizzy but I decided that the direction I was now facing was as good as any and started my trek across the desert.

_**... Several Hours Later ...**_

I officially hate deserts. Not desserts, I still like those. _DESERTS_. I was beginning to get a bit irritated with the vast expanse of sand and nothingness. How could such a desert exist? I was sure I would have found _something_ at this point. Did I get shipped to Egypt? Saudi Arabia? This was seriously starting to get ridiculous. My chances of surviving were slowly dropping in percentage and I wasn't happy with that. I was a survivor, I never gave up... but I was also stubborn and ill-tempered without my morning coffee and my breakfast muffin. I had been keeping an eye on the sun and I discovered that I had woke up sometime around 10am and it was now around 2pm. I've lived in a dry, sunny place my whole life but nothing like this. My fair skin would surely burn without good sunblock lotion and I didn't have any on me. The heat was nearly unbearable but I remembered that taking your clothes off in a place like this was a very bad idea. Unfortunately, I was without a proper pair of shoes. Luckily, I still had my scarf stuffed in my jacket pocket. I tore the scarf in half and wrapped my feet up to protect them as much as possible from the hot sand but I still didn't have anything to cover up my head. Have you ever had sunburn on your scalp? Let me tell you, it's horrible! Without much choice, I took off my jacket and used it to cover my head and as much of my upper body as I could. My short-sleeved undershirt was not going to help me too much but at least the jacket was enough to cover my head, neck, and shoulders and shield my face from the UV rays. My clothes also seemed to have stretched out because they felt loose but I decided it must have been all that running I did. Business clothes are _not _meant for cross-country.

Judging by the position of the sun, I was heading east. Keeping that in mind, I tried to look into the distance to see if I was at least nearing an oasis or even a road or some other sign of civilization. For many more hours, I saw nothing. When the sun was beginning to set, I decided to stop and rest. I had been walking all day with short breaks but now I was too tired to keep going. The heat was almost too much for me to bear and I was now both hungry and thirsty. _This is really bad._ If I didn't get water soon, I wasn't going to last more than two more days of walking. Food was not as important but I didn't feel like starving to death either. After a good 45 minutes or so of rest, it was 6pm and I had to decide if I should walk until dark or just stay where I was until morning. I didn't like waiting around in the open, so I decided to try walking just a little further. Maybe there would be something up ahead...

_Highly unlikely, Alex._

So, for the next two hours, I walked further east toward the setting sun until it was too dark to tell which direction I was going. By that time, I was beyond exhausted. Without food, my body was having a hard time staying up and my lack of water was starting to get to my head. I couldn't continue, so I collapsed and stayed like that for a long time trying to catch my breath. The temperature was dropping and I was starting to feel cold by the time I finally decided to sit up. I was not comfortable with the lack of shelter but there was nothing but sand in every direction. Putting my jacket back on, I stayed up as long as I could but fell asleep less than an hour later.

_**... That Morning ...**_

My slumber was disturbed by an object poking into my side but I was still too tired to wake up completely. I tried to ignore it but it wouldn't let up, so I rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep. That was not happening because whoever was poking me was getting impatient and decided to give me a good whack on the head.

"Get up, you lazy girl!"

Startled, I sat up and rubbed my throbbing head. "Ow! What was that for?" My question went unanswered but I didn't really care at that point because I was now staring up at an older woman with a large walking stick in one hand and a waterskin in the other.

She gave me a frown and shoved the waterskin in my hand. "Here, drink before you die of thirst," she said, her dark eyes sizing me up.

With a light blush, I accepted the waterskin and thanked her before taking a long drink of water and attempting to hand it back to her. However, she shoved in back in my arms and said, "Carry it, for now. And take this, too." She pulled off her pack and fumbled around inside for a moment before pulling out something wrapped in brown paper. She handed it to me and I carefully opened it to find... rice balls? In my head that registered as strange but I gratefully ate them and stuffed the paper in my pocket. "Come on, now, we've already wasted enough time!" she said, before turning northeast and gesturing for me to follow her. "If we don't go now, we won't make it to the village before sunset."

And so we walked together toward whatever village was her destination. I didn't question her, I couldn't think straight for the moment. I had just barely started to become fully conscious and my lack of coffee wasn't helping. When she handed me her bag to carry, I didn't complain because she looked almost as old as my grandparents and just as fragile as them. Slinging the surprisingly heavy pack onto my own back, I started to try and understand my new situation. It was early morning, the sun suggested it was barely 8am, and this old woman had decided to give me food and water and show me to... a village? What kind of backwash country did I get shipped to?

Deciding to try and get some answers, I began asking her the most important questions I needed answers to. "My name is Alexis. Who are you?"

She didn't look back at me as she answered my questions. "Alexis, eh? Strange name. Strange clothes. Not good for traveling in the Wind Country. Or any country for that matter! We are going to Sunagakure. I have a shipment to deliver."

My sunburnt brain registered something was terribly wrong but I couldn't figure it out. Wind Country? Sunagakure? Those aren't familiar places... or are they?

"Shipment?" I asked, shifting the pack.

"What you're carrying, girl! A very important delivery. Herbs that cannot be found in the Wind Country! Very rare and valuable to the people here." she replied, matter-of-factly.

I hummed in thought before speaking up again. "I see. Thank you for your kindness, miss...?"

She looked back at me with a grin and said, "Call me Tomoko. And you will be Haruka from now on. Your name is too foreign, people will be suspicious enough of your strange clothes and accent."

I gave her a look that probably showed how clueless I felt and she just cackled and continued walking. "You'll understand once we get there, Haruka-chan."

_Chan?_ That was a Japanese term. I had watched anime when I was younger and I had been to Japan before to teach English lessons and give pointers to young people getting into the industry. I was very positive that there were no deserts on the island of Japan. Again my mind knew there was something wrong but I just couldn't put my finger on it just yet. So, I just nodded my head and kept going. There wasn't really much else I could do.

**_... Later That Day ..._**

It was sometime past noon when I could finally see something besides sand in the distance but it was too far away to really make out. Tomoko had told me a bit more about where she had come from and the village we were going to. Konoha and Suna were very strange to me, I decided I was nowhere near any familiar countries I had ever been to or heard of. Perhaps I was in a very unknown part of the world? Somewhere not really popular? Places like many other small countries that aren't known by many Americans (actually, most Americans don't know half of the smaller countries in Europe and Asia anyway) and are often forgotten amongst the rapid growth of the larger industrial places? It was possible, but somehow... my brain couldn't accept that.

I was so lost in thought for the next two and a half hours that I didn't realize we had nearly reached our destination.

"Hey! Before we get in the village, remember this: You're my newest assistant from Konoha and also my last surviving grandchild. Your name is Kobayashi Haruka, got that?" the old woman called back to me. I hadn't noticed that she had gotten several feet ahead of me and quickly closed the gap.

"Yes, Tomoko-san." She whacked me on the head with her walking stick again and I amended my answer. "Hai, obaasan..."

I was curious as to why she was helping me out so much but I didn't want to sound ungrateful. She had been helping me understand the cultures around here as she understood I was obviously not from any of the nearby countries. She had asked me where I'm from but when I told her "California" she gave me a very confused look and said she had never heard of it. That's when I knew I was probably in some kind of 3rd world part of the Earth. To not know about the United States was something I couldn't fathom. Everyone seemed to know about my country, they either hated or loved it, but to not know of it at all? This was a very disturbing discovery.

To help a complete and total stranger who comes from somewhere that's unheard of was a huge risk. I just couldn't hold my tongue anymore. "Tomoko-san, I'm very grateful for your help but I have to ask... Why are you doing so much for me?"

She didn't look back at me, so I couldn't see her face but I could hear a forlorn tone as she spoke. "Couldn't leave you to die in the middle of nowhere, could I? You reminded me of someone, that's all. Now don't take my kindness for granted! Just play along and you won't get in any trouble. Stick close to me and try not to get lost."

It was then that I noticed we were very close to the village now. It was bigger than any village I had imagined it to be. The walls surrounding it were huge! The giant doors were pulled open as soon as the old woman showed her papers when the guard asked and we made our way inside.

_This place is huge! _I couldn't understand why it was called a village. It was more like a city! Not nearly as big as Los Angeles but pretty darn big. And all of the buildings were made of stone or sand. I felt very out-of-place but tried not to stare like a tourist.

We weaved through the crowded streets until we came upon what seemed to be a shopping district. I got a few odd looks for my clothes but apparently that was something Tomoko had decided to get rid of as soon as possible. She dragged me into a clothing store and picked out a few articles before shoving them into my arms and pushing me into a changing room. It happened so fast that I didn't quite understand what was happening until she demanded that I hurry up and try on the clothes. Not wanting to upset her, I quickly took off the pack and placed the waterskin down on the bench inside the dressing room and inspected the clothes. They were like a cross between Arabic and Japanese clothes. They had a Japanese style but they were light and airy and better suited for the desert. Shrugging off my suit and folding it neatly, I struggled to put on the new clothes.

"What's taking so long?" she said, her tone impatient.

I fumbled with the "shirt" and called back, "I've never worn anything like this before. How do you tie this thing?"

"Open the door and I'll help you." she said with a sigh.

So I unlocked the door and she helped me adjust the top and tie it correctly before placing a small bottle in my hand and telling me to put in on my exposed skin. Opening the bottle and sniffing it, I discovered it to be sunblock and quickly put it all over my face and neck. I was already sunburnt but it was best not to let it get worse.

As I was rubbing sunblock on, Tomoko was stuffing my clothes into her pack for safe keeping. When I finished, I turned to look at myself in the mirror and stopped short. That's when I noticed there was something very wrong with my reflection. I had thought the people of Suna were rather tall, as I was of average height, but as I inspected myself I realized they were not taller. I was shorter. And younger, for that matter. _I look like I did when I was in high school! No wonder my clothes felt so baggy before! _I was shocked, how could I have gotten _younger_? This wasn't possible. I would have started hyperventilating if Tomoko hadn't spoken up and snapped me out of my stupor.

"That looks good on you. I'll get you a few more pairs and we'll get out of here." she said, leaving me in the dressing room by myself. "Come along, then!"

I stayed in the tiny room by myself for a few minutes, just staring into my face. It seemed so foreign. I was 24 years old before, now I looked no older than 15. _I'm dreaming. I have to be. This can't be real. It's not possible._ My unkempt, dark brown hair hung down nearly to my elbows and looked like a disaster, so I tried to fix it as much as I possibly could. Running my fingers through it and slowly undoing the horrible knots, I noticed my eyes were a lot brighter. Not really any difference in color, they were still hazel, but just... more vivid. It almost frightened me how much they stood out now. What bothered me the most, however, was my height. I was an average height two days ago at 5'6" but now I couldn't have been more than 5' even. Six whole inches were gone. I had always wanted to be a few inches taller, not half a foot shorter! My body was less curvy but I didn't mind that, sex appeal was great for women who _wanted_ attention. I, Alexis Marie Henderson, was not that kind of woman... girl... _I'm not liking this._

Tomoko poked her head back into the room and frowned at me. "Hurry up! We don't have time for you to admire yourself! The shop will close soon!"

"Hai, obaasan." I said, remembering what she had told me earlier about playing my part. I followed her to the cashier where she paid for the clothes and then meekly exited the store with her. I had put the pack back on and she was now carrying the waterskin and my bag of newly purchased clothes. I was feeling like a burden to her as I felt uncomfortable about her spending money on me, a complete stranger. "Tomo- Obaasan... You didn't have to buy me clothes..."

She looked back at me and replied, "Of course I did, can't have you sticking out like a sore thumb in these parts! It would be dangerous for a child like you to attract so much attention."

I could not say anything against that, so I just nodded and thanked her for her kindness once more. She just smiled and waved me off.

I followed her closely as she made her way through the dwindling crowd and we finally came to a small shop at the end of the street. Even as I entered, the smell of herbs and tea was enough to make my eyes water. I struggled not to cough or choke, afraid I would seem disrespectful.

"Oi! Osamu-san!" she called, motioning for me to wait near the door as she disappeared behind the back of the shop. I could hear a male's voice respond to her but it was muffled and I didn't bother trying to understand it.

I scanned the small shop with a curious eye, trying to figure out exactly what this place might have been. _An herb shop? It feels like it's more than that. Almost like the old fortune-telling places back home but more stuffy._

After a minute or two, Tomoko returned with an elderly man and she told me to take off the pack. Settling it gently on the ground, I watched as she dug through it and pulled out several parcels and bottles. I could not identify any of them but did not think it was wise to ask her at the moment.

"This is what you wanted, correct?" she asked him, handing him the items and waiting for his response.

The old man, Osamu, opened the parcels and inspected the contents before moving onto the bottles and giving them a once-over. "Yes, these are the ones. Thank you very much, Tomoko-san. With these I'll be able to help the healers treat the illness going around the village."

Tomoko nodded and handed the pack back to me to carry. "Good. Is there anything you would like me to bring during my next trip?" she asked, ushering me toward the door.

"Just some of the usual herbs, I'm running low again." he replied, adjusting his thick glasses. He was very old, older than Tomoko.

She just smiled and nodded and promised to bring some extra so he wouldn't have to worry about running out early before she ushered me out of the stuffy shop. I took a deep breath of fresh air and thanked the gods that I could breathe again. The old woman beside me cackled and said, "Get used to it, we have several more shops to visit! But that will wait until tomorrow. It's nearly sunset and the shops will be closing soon. Come along, we'll have to get a room for the night at the inn."

"Hai, obaasan." I sighed in relief and followed her obediently.

She took me to a nearby inn and got a room for us to share. When I was finally able to relax, I collapsed on one of the beds and passed out before my head hit the pillow.

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><p><strong>So, someone gave me the idea of a crazy old herb lady and I decided to run with it. ;)<br>Thank you, Skryer, for suggesting it!**

**Also, thanks to Blue Slide Park for reviewing as well. :)**

**Yes, Alex (or Haruka) had found herself in Wind Country. However, she will not be there for very long! This story takes place about 6 or 7 years after the Kyubi attack, so most of the characters are still young and just barely in the academy. Will she meet Gaara? Who knows? ;)**

**Reviews are nice and if you have character ideas, let me know! Nobody else from the modern world will be popping in! Alex is most definitely not a Mary-Sue and she never will be.**

**Thanks for reading! I'll try to have the next chapter up by next Sunday!**

**~ Xero ~**


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